European Top Coach Campaigns Openly for Kaizer Chiefs Job Amid Pressure on Fernando da Cruz
- Belgian coach Luc Eymael publicly put his hand up for the Kaizer Chiefs coaching position as pressure mounts on current coach Fernando da Cruz
- Eymael, who won the Nedbank Cup with Free State Stars, cited an unblemished derby record across multiple African countries as his key credential
- Da Cruz's side extended their winless run to four games after a 1-0 CAF Confederation Cup defeat to Zambian side Red Arrows on Saturday
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Belgian coach Luc Eymael has publicly declared his interest in the Kaizer Chiefs head coaching position, positioning himself as a potential solution for the Soweto giants as incumbent Fernando da Cruz faces mounting scrutiny.
Eymael, who previously managed Polokwane City, Free State Stars and Black Leopards in South Africa, made his ambitions clear in an interview with KickOff, stating that coaching in the Soweto Derby would be a natural progression given his continental experience.
"Coaching in the Soweto Derby is not a dream if you have coached AS Vita Club, TP Mazembe, Simba, and Eloi Lupopo. It is something that could easily happen, and it would be fantastic for me to coach either Orlando Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs," Eymael said.
"However, I believe Kaizer Chiefs are more in need of a coach at present. That has been the case for several years. I have been very fortunate in my career: I have never lost a derby. I have won several and drawn several, but never lost."
Da Cruz's Winless Run Deepens
The timing of Eymael's comments follows a difficult stretch for Chiefs. Their 1-0 loss to Zambian club Red Arrows in the CAF Confederation Cup on Saturday extended their winless run to four matches.
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Looking further back, the club's only victory in their last seven games came in a 3-2 win over Siwelele FC in early September, a result that now stands as an isolated highlight in an otherwise troubled run of form.
Eymael points to derby pedigree across Africa
The 1963-born Belgian, who won the Nedbank Cup during his time at Free State Stars, also drew on his broader African coaching experience, which spans Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to underline his readiness for the pressure of a high-stakes fixture like the Soweto Derby.
"The Soweto Derby is the biggest in Africa, with more than 80,000 people attending," he told KickOff. "The pressure in derbies is similar, and perhaps greater in countries such as Tanzania than in South Africa, because public education is not the same."
He added that crowd management challenges, including frequent pitch invasions in Congo and volatile atmospheres outside stadiums in Tanzania, had prepared him for environments where the stakes are exceptionally high.
Whether Da Cruz is given time to reverse Chiefs' fortunes remains to be seen, but each poor result ensures the conversation around his future at Naturena will continue.
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Source: Briefly News
